I recently read composer Dale Trumbore’s terrific article Sustainable Composing, in which she addresses how her idea of success has changed. She now takes a longer view of how to build a career over time. One with relationships built on trust. One designed for a satisfying and sustaining life in music. Here’s to your sustainable career — and life — in music.
As Dale writes, “Maybe the business of being a musician isn’t a race to the top as quickly as possible, but a longer quest to find the people who are our people, the ones with whom we’ll collaborate to bring gorgeous new music into the world.”
I’m all for having goals with deadlines—they can keep us motivated and on track. (I’ve got a book deadline and a self-imposed article deadline gnawing at me now.) It works great for short and long term projects.
Deadlines don’t work so well with whole careers
Too many of us early on create career limiting deadlines. We think that by a certain age we should have “made it” and be earning our living solely by performing or composing. That’s a zero sum game: you either make it or you’re a failure. And this produces stress, resentment, and short-sighted thinking that hurts careers in the long run.
I’m convinced that if each of us invested in thinking about our longterm careers for just 45 minutes each week, that we’d find ourselves making better choices—in how we use our time and money and in how we interact with others.
Take the challenge for your sustainable career in music
invest 45 minutes this week in longterm thinking: assessing and planning about your future. Ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers. Include any specific and measurable actions you can take this week to work more efficiently towards your desired future.
1. Define success for yourself
What is the life you want to create for yourself? Picture not just your career but your home life: where do you see yourself living and working a year from today? 5 years from today? What will you need to commit to in order to make that a reality? Write it all down.
2. Relationships
What are you doing each month to help cultivate and maintain long term relationships with colleagues, mentors, and fans? Anything you want to change or build as a new habit?
2. Finances
How are you planning financially for the future? Which of your multiple income streams do you want to work on increasing? What can you do this week to get started on it?
4. Time
Do you have scheduled and designated time for taking care of both immediate urgent projects and time for work on the longer term important projects?
Think of your career as a marathon, not a sprint.
OK, so I’m not a runner, but this metaphor still works because I know that running 26.2 miles means pacing, stamina, and mindset are key. Marathoners need to plan for the whole so they don’t exhaust themselves on the first incline.
Same with music careers, if you want success over the long haul, your mindset and plan of action need to help you focus and deal with one mile at a time while still keeping an eye on the horizon.
Here’s more on your sustainable career in music and deadlines. And more help from Dale here.
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Looking forward,
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well
